By Dr. Hind Baghaffar
Hand weaving and textile production in general is an ancient craft that portrays Arabian nomadic peoples’ rich material and cultural heritage and lifestyle. Hand weaving was gradually replaced by simple looms, which consist of two sticks, or bars between which warps are stretched. The products follow strict geometric patterns that reflect the weaver’s and tribe’s creativity.
Process and Terminology
- Traditional forms of weaving were and are still practiced by Bedouin woman in rural communities in Arabia. Traditionally, men shear goats and camels and the wool is cleaned and prepared by woman. Before rinsing wool to attain maximum skirting, it is first combed by wooden combs to remove fleece, dirt and debris. It is combed once again to make it more soft. After dividing the material into roll-like forms, the weaver, usually a woman fixes the spindle under her arm-bit and prepares the fibers for the first stage of weaving.
- Then a simple spindle made of tree branches is used to arrange wool into spool-like rolls. This class of spindles which is the predecessor of the modern loom consists of parts called bars, wraps and sheds. On the top of spindle is placed a softening device with wooden handles that resemble hair brushes. Over the handles, a square shaped leather frame with bent teeth is adjusted to comb wool during the weaving process. It is worth noting that whatever the size of the spindle the primary method of textile production involved interlinking of a set of vertical threads with a set of thick horizontal threads. The set of vertical threads are known as wraps and the set of horizontal threads as weft.
It is at this stage that threads are dyed based on the primary Sadu colors which include but are not limited to the black, green, red and white spectrums.
The process of dyeing is followed by that of building the wooden looms by the most experienced woman in the tribe or neighborhood with the assistance of the rest of the women. The size of the loom should be commensurate with the size and build of its operator. From now on, the loom will be used to satisfy the domestic needs of the weavers’ family. It is worth noting that such looms last for a long time and repair and maintenance needs, if any, are abundantly available in nature. At the end of the day, looms were used to produce female dresses including cloaks and male robes or cloaks called Bishat in Arabic.
The art of Al-Sadu
Al-Sadu is an ancient Bedouin wool weaving craft in Arabia carried out by woman. The history of wool weaving in Arabian Desert is said to go back to thousands of years with woven items including but not limited to tents and their colorful partitions and dividers. Al-Sadu is at the center of Bedouin lifestyle and seasonal movement. As mentioned elsewhere, Bedouins lived more or less in large hand woven tents called Beit Alshaar “house of hair.” Camel symbolism is at the heart of the al-sadu wearing practice and its decorative motifs.
Dyeing and Coloring
Dyeing is the process of adding color to textile products such as fibers, yarns and fabrics. In the Bedouin milieu, yarns made of fleece were usually dyed with natural colors. The primary source of dye historically has generally been nature, with the dyes extracted from animals or products of the desert.
Textile products made of camel and goat hair or cotton were used undyed. Dyeing covered the range of beige, black, bright, reds, greens and oranges.
There are mainly two colors of dye: natural and fabricated or synthetic dyes. In Arabia, the natural dyes are sourced from the desert. In the present time however, artificial dyes are increasingly replacing natural dyes extracted from pomegranate and other plants and fruits and animal fluids.
Beit Al-shaar (House of Hair)
Once more, we need to reiterate that Al-Sadu is at the heart of weaving Bedouin tents. The traditional Bedouin tent is woven from course goat hair which constitutes the external wall of this mobile desert house. Inside the tent, a divider or certain (gata) was the most impressive Sadu-based achievements and was set with an eye to segregate the men and women quarters.
Each tent is provided with ventilation outlets. When it rains, the weave contracts and does not let water in. In the heart of summer, the tent becomes hot from outside and cool from inside. If fire is lighted for cocking purposes, dark smoke escapes through the roof ventilation outlets which absorb the heat generated by the fire and the tent stays worm and cozy.
The Sadu tent allows the Bedouin to live close to their natural habitat and their old traditions and lifestyle. Although tents are used so often and are moved almost daily from one place to another, they rarely need maintenance. If the need arises, nature and the desert environment provide the required materials.
The Looms
There are different types of looms which undertake processing of materials provided by spindles. There are looms for dresses, wool, Bishat (Arabic cloaks), furs and floor rugs. The weaver is provided with Sadu yarn produced by the spindle and tent building materials and finishes her task assisted by her female family members neighbors.
Wool Spinning Aids
- A wooden handle fixed on a metal arm (Almadara).
- A curry comb (Almidrat) made of wood and used for untangling and arranging wool for Sadu.
- A metal needle-like tool (Almakeet)
- Wool or hair robes (Atnab) used to secure the tent firmly on the ground.
- Pegs for bringing down the robes of the tent (Mansah and Fihr)
- A pulley (Al-mahala) with a grooved rim to facilitate movement of tent robes.
- Wood pillars or posts to hold up a tent
- Carpet and rugs (Zal) to cover the tent floor. These rugs are weaved of colorful Sadu.
Sadu Products
- Hand-made robes (Ogal) to tie up camel.
- Colorful blankets and drapes (Alshat) which sit at the back of the camel under the saddle for aesthetic purposes.
- Rice bags.
- Saddle bags(Khorj) to store food.
- Dress bag for packing male and female clothes during migration and called (Mizwad)
- Woven and dyed textile for horse and camel ornamentation and known as (Safaaif)
- Horse and camel saddle felts.
- Floor sofas for traditional oriented majlis.
Fur making
Traditional furwah made from soft goat skin with fine fur interior is a must outfit in winter. Drawing on local motifs, it is simple, elegant and stylish.
Titles
Traditionally, men shear goats and camels and the wool is cleaned and prepared by woman. Before rinsing wool, it is first combed by wooden combs to remove fleece, dirt and debris
The process of dyeing is followed by that of building the wooden looms by the most experienced woman in the tribe or neighborhood with the assistance of the rest of the women
Al-Sadu is an ancient Bedouin wool weaving craft in Arabia carried out by woman. The history of wool weaving in Arabian Desert is said to go back to thousands of years
There are different types of looms which undertake processing of materials provided by spindles. There are looms for dresses, wool, Bishat (Arabic cloaks), furs and floor rugs
Each tent is provided with ventilation outlets. When it rains, the weave contracts and doesn’t let water in
